


Dog Day Afternoons

by SailorChibi



Series: puppy play [5]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Collars, Cuddling, Domestic Avengers, Established Relationship, Fluff, Headspaces, Hugging, Kissing, M/M, Master/Pet, No Sex, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Nudity, Pet Play, Puppy Play, Puppy!Tony, SO MUCH FLUFF, animal play puppy, barking, bowls - Freeform, cutsy pet play, owner!steve, petting, puppy bruce banner, puppy headspace, puppy tony stark, puppy!bruce, tony and bruce love to play together, tony is an adorable puppy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2019-04-22 02:58:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14299281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorChibi/pseuds/SailorChibi
Summary: Steve's favorite days are the ones he gets to spend with Tony. It's even better when he gets to spend time with both his lover and his puppy.





	Dog Day Afternoons

**Author's Note:**

> This was meant to be posted two weeks ago, but stupid word corrupted my first file. So this is actually version 2.0 and I am very glad to finally post this commission!

Steve was having a wonderful dream. In the dream, he'd finally managed to find another job. A better job, one that he actually enjoyed, where he didn't have to put up with dumbass coworkers and stupid customers all day. A job that came with a huge raise, big enough that he was able to take his beautiful boyfriend on an expensive cruise where it was just the two of them with no interruptions.

He could've stayed in that dream forever, and might have done just that had it not been for what woke him up. Steve blinked one eye open, staring blearily at the far wall. The sunlight was pooling on the floor in a way that it only did in the very early morning. The room was quiet save for the low hum of the air conditioner. For a long moment he wasn't sure what had disturbed his sleep, and even considered going back to sleep.

Then he felt it. The mattress shook as the other occupant of the bed rolled over so that, from the feel of it, his back was to Steve. Tony stayed that way for exactly twenty seconds before he grunted and flipped back over. Steve tried not to wince as Tony cuddled in closer to him, winding his arms around Steve from behind and shoving cold fingers under the blanket against Steve's stomach.

"I can't sleep," Tony whined under his breath. He wiggled again, this time pushing his cold feet against Steve's calves. "Steve. Are you awake?"

Catching a glimpse of the clock, Steve decided that no, he wasn't awake. Not at 8am on a Sunday morning he wasn't. It was the one day of the week when he could let himself sleep in until 10am or later without feeling guilty about it, and he didn't intend to miss out. He closed his eye seconds before Tony sat up and leaned over him, staring intently at Steve's face.

It was tempting to break the ruse and smile, but Steve refrained. He knew why Tony was awake. Betty and Bruce were due to come over for supper tonight. Thanks to a long weekend they all had Monday off, so Bruce was going to spend the night. It had been a couple of months since Tony and Bruce got to spend any alone time together, and Tony had spent all last night talking about it with adorable enthusiasm.

But said enthusiasm also meant Tony'd had a hard time falling asleep, and Steve just _knew_ that today was going to be torture until Betty and Bruce arrived. It was going to be even worse once Tony got into his puppy headspace. Normally Tony was slightly reserved with his emotions, especially around people he didn't know well. Puppy Tony had no such reservations and would be vibrating with gleeful excitement all day and probably well into the night.

"Steve," Tony whispered again.

Steve stayed perfectly still. Tony could be a conscientious partner when he wanted to be. There was a small chance that Tony would give up, get quietly out of bed and go work for a couple of hours until Steve got up on his own. It wasn't likely, but Steve could hope. He kept his breathing calm and regular, not flinching even when Tony leaned in so close that Steve could feel Tony's breath against his cheek.

Then Tony licked him.

"Tony!" Steve yelped, shocked, instinctively shoving his boyfriend away. He grabbed the sheet and wiped the saliva off his cheek as Tony cracked up. Tony had licked him plenty of times when he was in his headspace, but it felt different knowing that Tony had done it purely because he was an asshole. Steve rolled over and glared as Tony laughed.

"I knew you were awake," Tony said, smirking. 

"How did you know?"

"You jumped and made that scowly face when I put my feet against your legs," Tony said smugly.

"I would have to be a super human not to. Your feet are like ice," Steve said. Now that he was awake, he reached beneath the sheets and grabbed Tony's feet. He didn't know how Tony could sleep when his feet were this cold. Sometimes Steve had to wear socks to bed in the winter because he couldn't fall asleep unless his toes were warm. He briskly rubbed his hands over Tony's feet.

Tony shrugged. "That's what you get for trying to ignore me."

Steve sighed, feeling his ire melt away. It was impossible to stay mad when Tony was grinning at him, brown eyes alight with mischief. He was beautiful, even with morning breath, a too large shirt sliding off one shoulder and the imprint of a pillow on his right cheek. Bucky had told him once that he was whipped, and Steve had to admit that he was probably right. 

Then again, if it meant that his mornings were like this, Steve couldn't complain. He could remember all too well what life had been like before he met Tony. The word boring hadn't sufficed. He'd been stuck in a rut where all he did was get up, go to work, come home, work out and go to sleep. The most interesting thing he'd ever done was occasionally baby-sit Natasha or Clint.

Tony's presence had changed all that. Now Steve actually understood what people meant when they said they enjoyed life. He looked forward to coming home after work every day because he and Tony got to spend time together. Weekends were enjoyable because even if all they did was work together in the same room, it was somehow still better. And if having Tony around meant that he had to sacrifice a little sleep, he figured that he could bite that bullet.

"You know that you're going to crash early tonight if you don't get enough sleep," he said, rather than trying to chastise Tony. 

"I got plenty of sleep. Six whole hours."

"Six hours is not plenty," Steve said, though it was a losing battle. He shook his head. "Never mind. I'm guessing you haven't eaten breakfast yet. What do you say we go out? My treat."

Tony smiled. "I think that sounds really nice, actually. There's a new place downtown that Pepper said is amazing. Wanna shower with me?"

"Always," Steve said. Suddenly he couldn't remember why he'd wanted to sleep in when the tantalizing thought of Tony, naked under a stream of water, was blossoming in his brain. He let go of Tony's feet and scrambled out from under the covers to the sound of Tony's laughter.

After they were finished with the shower, Steve shaved and then got dressed in shorts and a t-shirt. It was too hot outside to wear anything else. He headed down to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of orange juice while he was waiting for Tony. He stood at the back door, looking out across the backyard. The lawn would need to be mowed again soon, he noticed, but he wouldn't do that today. Tony and Bruce would get messy enough without rolling around in fresh lawn clippings.

Footsteps behind him made him turn. Steve finished off his juice and then smiled at his partner. Tony had shaved and dressed and was looking sleepy, though he perked up a bit when he noticed Steve watching him. Steve set his glass in the sink and, together, they headed for the front door of the house. By mutual decision, they decided to walk downtown instead of driving. It would take a little longer, but Steve certainly didn't mind. He loved walking hand-in-hand with Tony, listening to whatever thoughts were running across Tony's brain at that moment.

It was pleasantly warm outside, so the walk was nice. They ate outside on the patio of the restaurant that Tony had heard about. The food was good and they were both stuffed by the time the meal was over. Their walk back home was considerably slower, as they paused to look into store windows or enjoy the breeze whenever it came up. The perfect kind of morning, as far as Steve was concerned, and he wished that every morning could start out exactly the same. It was wonderful to see Tony looking so relaxed and happy.

"I have to make a quick call with Pepper," Tony said as Steve unlocked the door of their home. "I won't be long."

"Take your time. I'm going to watch something," Steve said. He was feeling a little lethargic, and the thought of doing anything that required energy wasn't that appealing. He watched Tony disappear upstairs and then went into the living room. He sat down on the couch and turned the television on, flipping through the channels. Sunday afternoon TV wasn't that great, but he managed to find a halfway decent movie without too much trouble. He'd only watched for about ten mintes before his eyes grew too heavy to stay open anymore. He let himself slump sideways, lifting his feet onto the other end of the couch, and closed his eyes for a quick nap.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep before something heavy landed on top of him. Steve jerked awake with a surprised, breathless yelp, and was just in time to grab Tony and keep him from falling off the couch: Tony had lurched back up, nearly toppling backwards. He pulled Tony with a relieved sigh, keeping a firm hold until Tony had curled up on his chest. It was a pose they often adopted when they were watching television together, and it was one of Steve's favorites. It didn't matter whether Tony was in his puppy headspace or not. He just liked feeling Tony's comforting weight on top of him.

"Sorry," Tony mumbled sheepishly, tucking his head under Steve's chin. "I didn't realize you were sleeping."

"I guess I was more tired than I thought, since an overly excited puppy woke me up early this morning," Steve said, giving him a gentle poke in the sides to show that all was forgiven. He suspected that Tony had launched himself over the back of the couch without looking, which Tony had done countless times. Steve had long since given up scolding him for it, even though it was terrible for the couch.

"You must've been. I was on the phone with Pepper for three hours."

"Three hours!" Steve exclaimed, shocked. A quick glance at the clock told him that Tony was telling the truth. He couldn't believe it. When was the last time he'd napped for so long? He couldn't remember. It had to have been years.

"I didn't mean to be so long, but we started talking about the new approach that Pepper wants to take to advertising and I lost track of time."

"It's fine. I just can't believe I slept for so long."

"Like you said, you were tired," Tony said. He paused, then added, "I invited Pepper to the barbecue. That's okay, right?"

"Of course!" Steve said, disappointed in himself for the oversight in the first place. To celebrate the 4th of July, and Steve's birthday, in style, they'd planned to hold a barbecue tomorrow and had invited most of their friends. He already knew that Rhodey was out of town on training, but he'd never even thought about telling Tony to invite Pepper along. And it didn't surprise him that Tony hadn't brought it up until now. For a man who was very confident in most areas of his life, Tony could be surprisingly shy about things like this.

"Oh good, 'cause Pepper said she's coming."

"I'm glad," Steve said, meaning it. "Is she allergic to anything? I'd planned on doing burgers and hot dogs on the grill."

"Uh..." 

Steve smiled. "Maybe I'll shoot Pepper a text tonight to ask her."

"That's probably a good idea," Tony agreed. "So... sleeping for three hours must mean you're really well rested, right?"

Steve narrowed his eyes. "I guess..."

Tony squirmed around until he could prop himself up without putting an elbow into Steve's lungs. He was smiling hopefully. "So that means you'd be open to calling Betty and asking her to bring Bruce over early?"

"I should've known that's what you were going to ask for," Steve said, amused.

"Pleeeeeeeease?" Tony begged, his eyes big and pleading. He did the best set of puppy eyes that Steve had ever seen, and, like always, Steve could feel himself caving. It was next to impossible to say no to Tony when all Steve wanted was to give him the world.

"Okay, fine. Do you need help getting - oof!" Steve wheezed again as Tony scrambled up and over the back of the couch.

"Nope I can do it you call Betty!" Tony yelled, making a beeline for the stairs.

Steve laid there for a few seconds, rubbing his abused chest and shaking his head. But he couldn't help smiling, and after a moment he got up and went to the bathroom. Usually he helped to get Tony ready, because sometimes Tony had trouble fully sinking into his headspace. Having Steve there, issuing gentle but firm commands and generally treating him like a puppy, helped. But in this case, apparently that wasn't going to be an issue. Tony had probably been dangling on the cusp of his headspace from the time they got up that morning.

He walked out of the bathroom and went into the kitchen to get himself a glass of water. While drinking it, he dug his phone out of his pocket. He and Betty weren't really close friends, but Tony and Bruce played together often enough that Steve had her number saved into his contacts. He was able to pull it up quickly and tapped the screen. He just hoped that she and Bruce were available earlier than planned, or Steve was going to be spending the rest of the afternoon with a _very_ restless puppy.

"Hello?" Betty said.

"Hey, it's Steve," Steve said. 

"Oh, hey. How are things?" 

"Not too bad. Can't complain on a gorgeous day like this," Steve replied. "I was just calling to ask whether you and Bruce could come by now instead of later. Tony's really eager to play."

Betty laughed. "I hear that. Bruce has been driving me crazy all day. I have some errands to run before dinner tonight, and I was actually wondering how I was going to get everything done with him hounding me. If you were okay with it, I could drop Bruce off at your house so he and Tony can spend some extra time together, go run my errands, and then come back for supper."

Or at least, that's what Steve thought she said. The second she said Tony's name, a very familiar voice began barking on the other side of the line, nearly drowning out Betty's voice entirely. Steve winced and held the phone away from his ear a little. That was a mistake. Drawn by the sound of Bruce's clearly audible barking, Tony galloped into the room. He was dressed - if you discounted the ears that were ready to slide down his forehead at any second - and going out of his mind with excitement already.

"Tony!" Steve exclaimed as Tony raced over to him. Tony was barking and howling like crazy, probably unable to even hear Steve over the racket that he and Bruce were making. Tony's front paws scrabbled at Steve's arm as he strained towards the phone, nosing at the screen like he could somehow reach Bruce through it. His barking reached a new frenzy when Steve shoved him away and stood up.

"Steve!" Betty yelled.

Steve put the phone back to his ear. "I'm here."

"Well be there in twenty minutes!" Betty called and then hung up, cutting off the sound of Bruce's barking.

Without Bruce barking off, Tony gradually tapered off. He cocked his head, looking up at the phone in Steve's hand, then sat back on his heels and whined. Steve sighed, locking his phone and sliding it into his pocket. He could've scolded Tony - Tony knew better than to behave that way when Steve was on the phone, mostly because every once in a while he got a call from someone that didn't know about their puppy play, but who Steve had to answer - but instead he knelt down on the floor and fixed Tony's headband, tugging his ears back into the proper position.

"Hey pup," he said softly, looking into Tony's eyes. Tony smiled, hips wiggling so that his tail waggled, and licked Steve on the cheek. Unlike that morning, this time Steve took it for the sign of affection that it was. He wrapped his arms around Tony and pulled the puppy into his lap, stroking Tony's back. He was fortunate to have such a sweet, loving puppy.

"How about a drink of water?" Steve said after a little while, realizing that Tony might be thirsty too. He got up and walked over to the cupboard to take out Tony's dishes. The water dish was fairly standard, but the food dish was something special. They'd started off with a regular dog bowl, but Steve had quickly discovered that Tony struggled with eating from it. The bowl was too deep for Tony to be able to get to the food, and watching Tony try valiantly to stick his tongue out far enough to get every last morsel of food was both funny and sad. And while he didn't mind hand feeding Tony, sometimes it was easier to be able to put food in a bowl when Steve was trying to do something else.

They could've used a plate. Steve knew that. It was the cheapest, most economical answer. Especially since he was pretty sure that there were some dogs out there who really did eat off of plates. And he knew that Pepper had fed Tony off of some plates before Steve and Tony starting dating. But that was an easy answer for something that wasn't permanent. He and Tony were definitely permanent, so that that didn't seem fair to Tony. He wanted Tony to have the full experience of being a puppy, and that meant not resorting to using any human dishes. 

So, after some consultation with Bucky, Steve had special ordered a bowl off of Etsy. This one was wider and sloped gently in the middle, with a lower rim. It was perfectly suited for Tony to put his face into, and meant that he could get every bite. Plus, the bright red color meant that Steve would never misplace it. It had cost quite a bit, because it was made of ceramic and had been shipped across the country, and he had even paid extra to have Tony's name stenciled on the side of it in gold. But it was worth every penny just to see the look on Tony's face when he unwrapped the gift.

Steve set the dish on the tower, along with the second, plain blue dish he'd ordered later for guests, and filled the water bowl up. He set it on the floor and watched as Tony bent down and began lapping some water up. He couldn't have been too thirsty, because he only drank for about a minute before sitting back and looking up at Steve. Water was dribbling down his chin and dripping onto his bare chest, but of course Tony didn't notice. Steve put a hand out and rubbed his head, enjoying the feel of Tony's soft hair.

"Come on, baby. Let's go watch some television."  
He led Tony into the living room, but no sooner had the two of them settled down on the couch than Steve heard the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. Tony clearly heard it too, because he shot off Steve’s lap and raced over to the window. Steve got up and walked over just in time to see Betty and Bruce getting out of the car. He wasn’t surprised to see that Bruce was still dressed in human clothing: if Betty were in an accident or got pulled over, having Bruce in his puppy headspace would raise some uncomfortable questions.

“Tony, down. Sit!” Steve said sharply. Whining, Tony sat as Steve opened the door.

“Hi,” Betty said, smiling. 

“Hi Bettty. Hi Bruce,” Steve said, waving them in.

“I can’t stay long,” Betty said, putting a hand on Bruce’s back as they crossed the threshold. She had a bag over her shoulder. “I have an appointment. Do you mind if Bruce and I use the bathroom real quick?”

“Go ahead,” Steve said. He was impressed that Tony was still sitting instead of jumping all over Betty and Bruce. As soon as the bathroom door closed, he complimented Tony for being such a good boy. Predictably, Tony took that as permission to rush over to the bathroom door and begin whining and scratching at the door. From the other side, Bruce barked a couple of times.

“Tony!” Steve said, grabbing Tony’s collar and gently pulling him away from the door. He knew Tony was excited, but this seemed a little excessive. Maybe it had been too long since Tony had played with anyone. Their schedules could get busy sometimes. He was really going to have to try and build more time for puppy play into it.

The bathroom door finally opened and Bruce shot out, heading straight for Tony. Steve had to laugh at the sight of the two madly wagging tails as the puppies sniffed and licked at each other. Betty was laughing too, shaking her head fondly as she set the bag she’d been carrying down on the floor. She edged her way around the two puppies and walked over to the door.

“I’ll be back for six,” she said to Steve. “Text me if you need me to pick anything up, okay?”

“Okay, thanks,” Steve said. Normally Bruce would be upset for a few minutes after Betty left, but this time Bruce didn’t even notice. He was too busy nuzzling Tony. Steve decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth and locked the door, then clapped his hands to get their attention.

“Who wants to go outside?” he asked. This suggestion was, of course, met with some very enthusiastic barks, and two puppies dancing around his feet as Steve walked to the back door and opened it.

Tony and Bruce scrambled outside, down the steps and onto the grass. Steve was slower to follow, sitting down on the edge of the patio to watch. It was hotter outside now than it had been earlier when he and Tony had gone for breakfast. He tipped his face up into the sun and decided that he’d let Tony and Bruce play for a while, and then give them some ice cream for a treat. 

The nice thing about being outside was that the puppies were, for a while at least, able to entertain themselves. Even though they’d been out in the backyard dozens of times – Tony was probably closer to _hundreds_ of times at this point – they seemed determined to sniff every inch of the yard, starting with the old tree and slowly making their way around.

Of special interest to Tony, of course, was the small vegetable garden in the right corner. Steve had planted it in the spring with the idle thought that he might try growing some tomatoes, carrots and maybe peas or squash, depending on what kind of luck they had. The real problem was that Tony _loved_ to dig in the dirt, and the sandbox Steve had provided to him just didn’t seem to be the same as Steve’s garden. 

“Tony!” Steve called out warningly, noticing that Tony was getting a little too close. Tony froze, looked back at Steve, then veered off in a direction like he’d intended to do that all along. Steve rolled his eyes and stretched his arms over his head, looking around at Bruce, who was intently sniffing at the base of the tree.

He gave them another half hour, by which point Tony had flopped down in the shade of the tree and was panting quietly, before he went into the house and put two scoops of vanilla ice cream into both Tony’s dish and the blue dish. Then he took the dishes back outside with him. Tony heard him come out and looked up, attention quickly focusing when he realized Steve had food.

“Anyone want a treat?” Steve asked with a smile, walking down the steps. He crossed the yard into the shade and set down a bowl for each puppy. It was so funny to hear Bruce make these little squeaks of joy every time he licked at the ice cream. Steve settled, grinning, against the trunk of the tree, leaning back comfortably and petting Tony’s back while they ate.

There were worse ways to spend a Sunday.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](http://tsuki-chibi.tumblr.com/).


End file.
